Prime Minister: Hospitality Costs

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much was spent by the Prime Minister on hospitality in each of the years 1997–98 to 2001–02.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The total cost for all official entertainment at 10 Downing Street and Chequers was as follows:
	1997–98: £43,777
	1998–99: £53,639
	1999–2000: £60,652
	2000–01: £72,790
	The programme of events is designed to give people the opportunity to visit No. 10, including for example regular children's tea parties and receptions for a wide-ranging cross-section of the community. In 2001 these included receptions for teachers, NHS workers, the police, members of the emergency services and victims of the floods.

Intelligence and Security Committee: Annual Report

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they expect to lay the Intelligence and Security Committee's annual report before Parliament.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Prime Minister is grateful to the Intelligence and Security Committee for its valuable work and its latest annual report. Following consultation with the Intelligence and Security Committee over matters which could not be published without prejudicing the discharge of the function and operation of the intelligence and security agencies, the report will be laid before the House tomorrow. Copies will also be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The Government will respond formally to the report shortly.

Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984: Codes of Practice

Lord Parekh: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will issue for consultation the revised draft Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) Codes of Practice.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: On 15 May, we announced a review of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the accompanying codes of practice. As part of the overall review process, and in order to provide practitioners with an up-to-date set of codes as soon as possible, limited amendments are proposed to existing Codes of Practice B-E. These will primarily take account of legislative changes since the codes were last updated in 1995. Further changes to the codes may follow from the broader PACE review.
	Section 67 of PACE requires that the Secretary of State first prepare and publish revised drafts of any proposed amendments for consultation. The revised draft PACE Codes of Practice B-E were issued for consultation today and copies have been placed in the Library.

Colombia: FARC

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they consider the FARC terrorist group in Colombia to be an international terrorist organisation.

Lord Filkin: FARC is not a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK under Part II of the Terrorism Act 2000.
	The list of proscribed organisations is kept under review and decisions to proscribe or deproscribe are taken after careful consideration of all relevant aspects.

NHS: Information Management and Technology

Lord Clarke of Hampstead: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will publish the report commissioned from Professor Protti by the Information Policy Unit and the National Health Service Information Authority on issues of implementing information for health.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Professor Denis Protti of the School of Health Information Science at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, was commissioned by the Department of Health to provide an independent assessment of the progress with electronic record development and implementation. He also considered the emerging issues around implementation of the NHS information strategy in general.
	The final report is published on the Department of Health website www.doh.gov.uk/ipu/whatnew/prottireport.pdf and copies placed in the Library.

Porton Down Volunteers: Epidemiological Research

Lord Gordon of Strathblane: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have for epidemiological research on Porton Down volunteers.

Lord Bach: The Ministry of Defence has accepted a recommendation by the Medical Research Council (MRC) to fund research to be undertaken by Dr Kate Venables of Oxford University and colleagues from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Imperial College, London. This research will consist of a one-year pilot study to assess the incidence of mortality and cancer amongst a selected group of 500 Porton Down volunteers compared with a control group of 500 other members of the Armed Forces and a small-scale questionnaire study to evaluate volunteers' own views of their health status.
	The pilot study will commence later this month and will take about a year to complete. The MRC will be in a position towards the end of the pilot study to advise MoD whether the available historical data are of sufficient quality and quantity to allow a full-scale epidemiological study to proceed.

War Widows Pilgrimage Scheme

Lord Graham of Edmonton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have received to extend the War Widows Pilgrimage Scheme which is funded by the Ministry of Defence.

Lord Bach: Following a recent approach by the Royal British Legion, we have agreed to an extension of the War Widows Pilgrimage Scheme for a further two years, until 31 March 2005. The Government greatly appreciates the excellent work of the Royal British Legion which administers this subsidised scheme on our behalf. To date the scheme has enabled more than 4,000 widows to visit their husband's grave in many parts of the world.

Reserve Forces

Lord Merlyn-Rees: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What changes they plan to the role of the Reserves in home defence and security.

Lord Bach: The work to date on the New Chapter to the Strategic Defence Review indicates that there is scope for an additional role for the Reserves in home defence and security tasks, which would draw on their strengths and skills in the response to a crisis and which the Reserves would themselves welcome. To explain our concept and to seek views upon it, the Ministry of Defence has today issued a discussion document entitled The Role of the Reserves in Home Defence and Security. Copies of the document have been placed in the Library of the House. It makes proposals for providing a significant enhancement to the support which the department and the Armed Forces can provide to the civil authorities in such circumstances in three areas:
	by the formation of reaction forces on a regional basis, comprising an average of 500 Reserve personnel who volunteer for the role and who would be available to be deployed in a crisis;
	by formalising the role of 2 Signals Brigade, and its predominantly Territorial Army subordinate units, in supporting those personnel deploying in response to a crisis, and enhancing its communications equipment accordingly;
	by using Reserve personnel to improve our contingency planning, and the machinery by which the civil authorities can gain access to support from the Armed Forces in a crisis.
	This is a significant development for our Reserve Forces, and an important new challenge for them. We will take account of the views of the Reserves and their employers on the discussion document in finalising our proposals. At that stage, we will also take a final view on the implications for the size and shape of our Reserves forces.

Ofcom: Board Appointments

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What process they have adopted for the selection of a chairman and a chief executive to be appointed to the board of Ofcom; whether headhunters have been appointed to assist in the selection procedure; if so, which company has been so appointed; and when they expect to announce the appointment of the chairman and chief executive.

Baroness Blackstone: Advertisements for the positions of chairman and three non-executive members of Ofcom recently appeared in national newspapers and papers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The appointments will be made in line with the guidance issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Once appointed, the chairman and non-executive members will be responsible for appointing the chief executive of Ofcom, subject to the approval of the Secretary of State.
	Saxton, Bampfylde, Hever has been appointed by DTI and DCMS to assist with the executive search for potential candidates for chairman and non-executive members.
	We hope to be in a position to announce the appointment of the chairman and non-executive members in late July/early August. The appointment of the chief executive is not likely to be made until the end of the year.

Children and Young People: Departmental Action Plans

Baroness Serota: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What arrangements are being made to publish departments' action plans for the implementation of the core principles for involving children and young people in the planning, delivery and evaluation of government policies and services relevant to them.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: In line with the commitment set out in Learning to Listen–Core Principles for the Involvement of Children and Young People in Government, the following departments are today publishing their action plans:
	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
	Ministry of Defence
	Department for Education and Skills
	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	Department of Health
	HM Treasury
	Home Office
	Lord Chancellor's Department.
	These will be placed on the Children and Young People's Unit website, www.cypu.gov.uk, and copies will be placed in the Library.
	The Children and Young People's Unit will be reviewing progress against action plans in an annual report.

School Exclusions: Pupils of Black-Caribbean Ethnic Origin

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proportion of pupils permanently excluded from primary and secondary schools are of Afro-Caribbean ethnic origin.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: From the information readily available to us, black-Caribbean exclusions are down from 46 in every 10,000 for 1999–2000 to an estimated 38 in every 10,000 (approximately 3.5 per cent. to approximately 3 per cent.) for 2000–01. This includes information gathered from primary, secondary and special schools. Rebo

School Exclusions: Pupils of Black-Caribbean Ethnic Origin

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they will take to ensure that pupils of Afro-Caribbean ethnic origin are not discriminated against on racial grounds in being excluded from primary schools.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 places a general duty on public authorities, including schools and LEAs, to aim to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination and promote equality of opportunity and good race relations between people of different racial groups. To help schools to comply with this duty, they are subject to specific, statutory duties, and were required by the 31 May this year to have prepared a written race equality policy setting out how they will tackle racial discrimination and promote equality of opportunity and good race relations across all areas of school activity. They are also required to assess and monitor the impact of their policies on pupils, parents and staff from different racial groups, in particular whether their policies have, or could have, an adverse impact on the attainment levels of pupils from different racial groups. The policies to be assessed and monitored can include discipline and exclusions.
	Black-Caribbean exclusions are down from 46 in every 10,000 for 1999–2000 to an estimated 38 in every 10,000 (approximately 3.5 per cent to approximately 3 per cent) for 2000–2001. Although figures are now falling, we are not complacent about the exclusion of black children from school and they continue to be of concern to us. We are working with key partners, both inside and outside of government, to develop ways of tackling the problem and examining the whole issue of black attainment in schools.

Consumer Products and the Environment: Internet Information Service

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to set up an information resource on the Internet to offer advice on consumer products and more sustainable consumption choices.

Lord Whitty: In its first report, the Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment Committee (ACCPE) presented the idea of setting up a new Internet information service, which could provide advice and guidance on the environmental impacts of products and the scope for making more sustainable consumption choices. It recommended that the Government should first commission work on the economic and technical feasibility of such a project, and the potential demand for the service. This has been done and the consultants' report is available on the DEFRA website, at http://www.defra.gov.uk.environment.consumerprod/accpe/research/index.htm. Having considered the details of this feasibility study, ACCPE has recently made recommendations (in its second report, Action for Greener Products: a toolbox for change, published in May) about the practicalities of piloting a new service. The Government are now preparing a pilot stage, with a view to full implementation if that is successful.

Mahogany Imports

Lord Beaumont of Whitley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 11 April (WA 122), how figures for mahogany imports to the UK are collated.

Lord Whitty: Further to my reply of 11 April, mahogany (Swietenia Macrophylla) is listed on Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and does not therefore require an import permit. However, the importer must complete an import notification form which must be presented to HM Customs for clearance.
	These notifications specify the quantity of timber imported and are passed to my department (as the UK CITES Management Authority) to record. Details of quantities imported are then passed annually to the United Nations Environment Programme which collates similar information from all other signatories to the covention. These figures are published annually.

DEFRA: Horticulture Research

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether DEFRA has researched, or plans to commission research, into the quality of British-grown horticultural produce including its mineral and vitimin content, ranked according to the conditions under which it is grown.

Lord Whitty: DEFRA currently funds R & D to improve product quality by increasing our understanding of biochemical, molecular and physiological processes that occur during plant development, after harvest and during storage and processing. This research is relevant to UK-grown produce.
	The research cuts across all areas of horticulture and includes, in the edible sectors:
	identification of novel tomato and lettuce breeding stock with enhanced antioxidant levels;
	identification of genetic markers for breeding quality traits into fruit and vegetables, for example, improving colour and flavour in cherries and plums, texture in (conventional and organic) apples and tomatoes and flavour in onions;
	improving shelf life of produce, for example, by controlling ripening of fleshy fruit including tomatoes and understanding deterioration in broccoli and salads;
	improving the quality of stored produce, for example, in apples and potatoes;
	understanding of processes that control seed vigour and seedling establishment, for example in onions, carrots and brassicas.
	DEFRA also funds a wide range of projects aimed at improving quality of non-edible crops including improving growth conditions and increasing cut flower and pot plant shelf and home-life.
	In addition much of the research that the department undertakes to reduce pest and disease damage also improves the quality and physical appearance of produce.

London Wholesale Markets: Review

Lord Stallard: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress they are making with their review of London markets.

Lord Whitty: In its report on New Covent Garden Market published last year the House of Commons Select Committee on Agriculture recommended a review of the provision of wholesale markets in London.
	In response to this recommendation and in conjunction with the Corporation of London, which owns three of the four major wholesale markets in central London, we have commissioned Mr Nicholas Saphir to undertake a review. Mr Saphir is an adviser to several large food and farming companies in the United States, South America and Europe and has wide experience of the operation of the food chain in England. We have asked him to produce an initial report by the end of September.
	The terms of reference of the review are as follows:
	To consider:
	whether the existing London wholesale market facilities are well adapted to the needs of the business communities and users which they serve;
	the effect on the operation of the markets of the legislation which governs them;
	the potential impact of product diversification and changing demand for the services provided by wholesale markets; and
	the scope for developing a co-ordinated strategy for the future management of the markets
	and to make such recommendations to the Secretary of State and the Corporation of London as the reviewer considers appropriate, after having regard to the practicality and legal and financial implications of implementing them.
	Mr Saphir may be contacted at the following address:
	Review of London Markets
	Room 106
	Eastbury House
	30–34 Albert Embankment
	London
	SE1 7TL.